Man charged with pot sales in Meredith

MEREDITH - Police say the arrest of a Massachusetts man on a drug dealing charge Thursday ended a long-term interstate operation that had been going on for the past few years.

Acting on a tip from a delivery company, Meredith police arrested Tuan Ngoc Le, 48, of Worcester, Mass., for possession of a controlled drug with intent to sell after a delivery truck dropped packages containing 25 pounds of marijuana at a house on Ladd Street.

Le was arrested at 12:16 p.m. by town police. He was arraigned on the charge Friday and was held at the Belknap County Jail on $50,000 cash bail until a hearing is set up on the charge, county officials said.

"The judge was very careful about releasing him - 25 pounds of marijuana is a lot," said police Sgt. Mike Harper.

Police have determined that Le was conducting a marijuana-selling operation out of a rented home at 5 Lower Ladd Hill Road.

"The operation went all the way back to his source in California," Harper said. "By the looks of it, he was renting the home in Meredith and then staying there a week at a time."

After police received the tip, members of the police department took over the delivery, disguising themselves. When Le accepted the packages, he was arrested, Harper said. Thousands of dollars in cash was also seized at the home, he said.